I'll Give You All That I Got
by WorkSmartNotHard
Summary: Cuddy is robbed in her own home in the middle of the night and she finds that the one person who can help her through the aftershock is someone who she never expected could. HouseCuddy.
1. By Your Side

Cuddy jerked abruptly to consciousness and found herself lying flat on her bedroom floor. Pale winter sunlight shone through the windows and hit her straight in the face. Still groggy, she looked around her room as she tried to get up, wincing as she did so. Her left arm felt like liquid fire and her head was spinning; she didn't know how she had gotten into this state.

She pulled herself up using the bed next to her and swayed violently once she was on her feet. Steadying herself, she looked around the room again and her eyes widened as they rested on the window on the right side of her room. The glass had been smashed inwards and the glinting fragments were scattered on her bedroom floor. Cold air entered from outside and swirled around her room, making her shiver.

All at once her memories from the previous night came crashing down on her and once they started, there was no way too stop them. She remembered hearing a crash in the middle of the night. She remembered the feel of a rough hand clamping over her mouth as she sat up in her bed. She remembered the pain that had shot through her body when the man twisted her arm behind her back and told her not to say a word. She remembered the way that one of his hands had travelled over her body whilst the other held a cloth doused with chloroform to her face before throwing her to the floor. But most of all she remembered the fear that had gripped her very heart; mind-numbing fear that she never thought she could have ever felt.

Cuddy shuddered and suddenly looked around her room as though expecting the man to appear there again. She shook herself. It was morning, he had to be long gone by now. But she couldn't help looking around once more just to make sure, the unsettling fear never leaving her.

Cuddy tried not to panic and allowed herself just one dry sob before walking to her living room, towards the house phone, checking behind every corner she passed. Her television, radio, laptop, cell phone and handbag were all gone. She shivered again, trying to block the images from last night out of her mind. She picked up the phone and tried not to gasp from the pain when her left arm hit the side of her sofa.

She hesitated before dialling, not sure whether to call the police or someone else to help her first. Then she realised there was no one close enough for her to call; her parents lived too far away and Wilson was away at an Oncology conference until tomorrow, Monday. She tried not to think about the last option. No, she couldn't call him…but there was no one else and Cuddy didn't think she could face going to the police alone.

Trying not to think about his reaction, Cuddy dialled his phone number trying to ignore the sharp pain that kept shooting up her arm and the dizziness that was starting to overwhelm her.

* * *

House awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He reached over for his alarm clock and checked the time: 8AM. Cursing the fact that he had to wake up so early on a Sunday, he grabbed his cane and swallowed a Vicodin before heading to the living room and snatching his phone from the receiver.

"Wilson, if that's you calling and waking me up this early in the morning you better be prepared to buy me lunch for the next week." House said immediately.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, though he could hear someone breathing rather quickly.

"This better not be some kind of prank call because –"

He was cut off by a voice that he had least expected to hear. It wasn't who was speaking that surprised him the most though; it was the tone of her voice. Cuddy sounded terrified.

"_House, it's me. Can you come over here?_"

Utterly confused, House tried not to sound worried but that only made his voice sound harsher. "Why?"

He thought he heard her stifle a sob and immediately kicked himself. "Cuddy, are you okay?"

When she spoke, it sounded like her voice was thick with tears. House realised that he had never seen her cry in front of him before.

"_My house was broken into last night," _House froze. "_I don't think I can go to the police by myself. I'm sorry for calling so early but I didn't know who to call and –"_

House cut in, his voice urgent now. "Cuddy, are you hurt?"

Silence. He could hear her breath becoming more laboured.

"Cuddy?"

Her answer was almost a whisper. "_Yes._"

House tried to keep his voice calm. "Sit down if you feel faint. I'll be right there."

"_Alright," _she said. House noticed that her voice was becoming fainter.

He put down the phone and pulled on a pair of pants over his boxers and his jacket before limping as fast as he could to his car. Driving way beyond the speed limit and trying not to think about the state he would find Cuddy in, House parked in her driveway only ten minutes later.

He let himself in through the front door, using the spare key she always kept under the flowerpot and walked quickly through the hallway to her living room. He found her sitting against the cushions on her sofa. Her left arm was bent at a strange angle and she seemed to be on the verge of fainting.

Anger washed over him at the person who had done this to her as he limped quickly over to her and checked her pulse, noticing how she started when he touched her (she was obviously still on the edge of fear). She turned her head to him.

"I wondered whether you'd show," she whispered.

"What do you think I would have done? Plus, it was a good chance for me to see you in your nightdress." he said, trying to keep the normality by reverting to his teasing tone.

Cuddy gave him a small smile, but her eyes seemed glassy and her breaths were still short and quick.

"Can you stand?" he asked quietly.

"I think so," Cuddy said, trying not to notice the worry he couldn't hide from his eyes.

House gently put an arm around her waist to support her, careful not to brush against her broken arm and they both stood up together. Cuddy swayed and grabbed the front of House's shirt with her good arm to steady herself. Her head felt like it was being split in two and she saw stars. Cuddy leant against House, his body a solid warmth against hers. She closed her eyes.

House shook her gently. "Cuddy, don't close your eyes. Come on, we have to get to the hospital."

She murmured something unintelligible and the last thing she saw when she opened her eyes was House's face inches away from hers before everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! Please review if you like it! Reviews are my drug. I won't make you wait long for the next chapter. :)  
**


	2. Hidden Feelings

House watched her through the glass, tapping his cane absently against his shoe

House watched her through the glass, tapping his cane absently against his shoe. She was sleeping for the moment and he thought that this would be a good a time as any to go in, but he couldn't move his feet. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest as she lay on the hospital bed and felt the anger in him start to boil once more. He recalled the phone call he had made earlier in the day…

"_I'm afraid that without even a vague description of the man, we may not be able to bring in any viable suspects, Dr. House." a voice droned in House's ear._

"_You have to be able to do _something_! What kind of place are you running!" House's voice was harsh._

"_The best we can hope for is for the man to attempt another burglary. We will monitor the area around Miss Cuddy's –" _

"Dr. _Cuddy," House snapped, becoming increasingly annoyed. _ "_And just make sure you do something to get this bastard."_

_He slammed the phone down before the police officer had a chance to reply. _

House drifted out of his thoughts and looked through the glass again. His eyes immediately locked with hers. She had awoken and was watching him. Trying not to show surprise, but knowing there was no way he could just stand here now that she had seen him, he entered her room. She still didn't say anything and he cleared his throat.

"Blunt trauma to the head, broken left arm and dizziness from the chloroform." House said wondering how his planned, '_How are you feeling?' _had turned into that.

However, Cuddy seemed to know what was going through his head and smiled slightly. "Thank you House…for coming."

House just stared at her for a moment before nodding and seating himself in the chair beside her bed. "How's the dizziness?"

"Better," she said watching as he checked her arm. "In fact, it's almost gone."

"Good," he murmured, leaving his hand on her forearm, even though he had finished checking her brace.

Cuddy didn't seem to notice. She was looking out of the window. It was nearing darkness. House felt her shudder slightly. "You can be discharged now," he said quietly.

Cuddy looked back at him and for a second he saw a flash of fear in her eyes again. Then she dropped her gaze to his hand on her arm and a look of surprise spread across her face. House automatically moved his hand away from her arm but as he let it rest on her bed, he felt a warmer pressure on top of it. Cuddy had placed her hand on top of his and that rendered him almost speechless.

She kept her head bent, looking at their hands. She took a deep breath and seemed to be steeling herself. House knew what she was trying to say as well as how hard it must be for her to say it. Cuddy never admitted that she was scared, especially to him.

Keeping his voice soft, he said, "You want to tell me what's going through your head?" and was surprised when he found that the teasing tone had left his voice. "It's normal for you to feel scared, you know…You can't be in super administrator mode all the time."

She looked up at him, slightly taken aback. But he saw her eyes flick to the darkness outside and felt a small pressure as she tightened her grip on his hand. "I don't think I'm ready to go back home yet," she said in a small, shaky voice.

House felt a startling surge of affection as he looked at her broken form. He tried to keep the gruffness out of voice. "Hey, don't worry about it," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "You can stay at my house tonight."

A look of incredulity spread across Cuddy's face. "I'll make you a bed on my couch and I promise not to make any inappropriate jokes." House said quickly. Cuddy smiled, removing her hand from his and placing it on the side of his face. The gesture was so unexpected that House found again that he was struck momentarily speechless. Cuddy suddenly seemed to realise what she was doing and flushed, immediately withdrawing her hand.

"I'm guessing that means yes," House said, trying to break the sudden silence.

"Are you sure it won't be too inconvi –"

"It'll be fine Cuddy. Come on, let's go." House helped her out of her bed and twenty minutes later they were in House's car, a comfortable silence between them.

As he drove, House couldn't help noticing how even though her body was limp with tiredness from hours of disturbed sleep in the hospital, her eyes still held unguarded fear of the darkness and of the prospect of returning to a house where safety could never be guaranteed.

"Alright, Cuddy?" he asked, pulling into a parking space in front of his apartment.

She nodded wearily, slumped against the back of the passenger seat. House watched her for a few seconds. "You know, we don't have to go into my house now. We could go for a drive around the area for a while if you wanted…"

Cuddy realised he was trying to make her feel more relaxed and smiled a little. She looked at his face and saw her tiredness mirrored there. The endless hours of waiting by her room in the hospital had gotten to him. "Thanks House, but we can go in now. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Cuddy nodded again and opened the car door. House got of the car and helped her out, carefully avoiding her left arm.

"Don't worry," she repeated again. "I can walk." She hated putting him through the unnecessary strain of looking after her.

Once inside, Cuddy looked around. She realised she had never actually had a chance to look around his apartment properly before. She smiled, seeing the large numbers of books that were stacked in bookshelves around every wall as well as the large collection of records next to them.

"Here," he said, coming out of his bedroom with a t-shirt and sweatpants and handing them to her. "Don't worry, they're clean. Bathroom's down the hall." Cuddy hesitated for a second before taking them, heading for the bathroom to change. She came out a few minutes later, feeling much more comfortable. It had taken her a while to pull the t-shirt over her brace.

House had already changed into his shorts and t-shirt, coming out of a room with a pillow and blankets and arranging them on the sofa. Cuddy found the action oddly endearing and had to repress the sudden feelings she sensed. She suddenly felt more awake.

"That's the best I can do," he said, straightening and rubbing his thigh. Cuddy watched him wince in pain. His shorts were just long enough to cover his scar.

"House," she said quietly. "Will you let me do something for you?"

"What?" he asked, not really sure what to expect.

"Will you let me massage your thigh? It's the least I can do to repay you for letting me stay here tonight. I'll only be able to do it with one hand though…"

House tensed. He wasn't sure about this. He never let anyone touch his thigh, let alone massage it. He watched her carefully; she looked so broken. Surprising himself, he felt his head nodding.

He sat on the couch, wondering how she would do this. She seated herself next to him. "Turn around with your back against the arm rest," she said quietly and he obliged. "Put your legs across my lap."

House hesitated at this request but after a moment in which neither of them said a word, he lifted his legs and let them rest gently across her lap as she sat on the sofa. Her fingers light, Cuddy slowly pushed up the fabric of his shorts, revealing the scar. House watched, waiting to see her flinch or shudder from the gaping hole in his leg. She did neither.

She kept her eyes down, taking in the destruction that she had helped cause. She reached with one hand and gently traced his scar with a finger. House stared. Her touch was so light he could hardly feel it, but he could see her tracing his pain; pain that he could see reflected in her own eyes. Cuddy took a deep breath and House wished he could tell her that he didn't blame her for what had happened to his leg.

"Ready?" she asked, finally making eye contact with him. He nodded wordlessly, watching her intently.

She started massaging his leg and House gradually let himself relax. It felt like…bliss. The pain in his leg lessened under her touch and she never took her eyes of her fingers. He continued watching her, taking in every detail of this moment. She was focussed in her task, putting all her energy into it. He felt himself drifting under her gentle ministrations.

Fifteen minutes later, Cuddy stopped, flexing her hand. She glanced at House and smiled. He was asleep. She leant back against the couch and watched him, her eyes travelling across his face. He looked peaceful in his sleep, his problems gone. Cuddy reached over his legs and grabbed one of the blankets she had placed on the coffee table, spreading it over him and herself. House shifted at the movement and opened his eyes.

He saw Cuddy sitting on the sofa, his legs still over her and half-smiled when he felt no stabbing pain in his leg. "You weren't going to wake me up?" he asked, his voice gruff with tiredness.

"I didn't want to," she murmured. "You haven't had much rest today."

"And what about you?" he said softly, removing his legs from her lap and sitting straight next to her, the blanket falling to his lap.. Cuddy felt a slight pang at the loss of pressure she had grown accustomed to in the last twenty minutes.

"I…" Cuddy trailed off and House realised why she hadn't woken him. She didn't want to be alone. House's heart twisted for her. Cuddy saw the realisation in his eyes and felt embarrassed of her vulnerability.

The next thing she knew, House's arm was around her shoulders and he was drawing her closer to him under the blanket. Cuddy immediately tensed. House whispered into her hair, "Don't worry. I won't leave you alone." Stunned, Cuddy tried to hide her smile by resting her head on his shoulder, all previous tension relieved from her body, but House put his hand under her chin and she brought her eyes to his.

Blue fixed on blue as they read each others emotions. Hers was trust and compassion, all fear gone whereas his was care and something that looked suspiciously like tenderness.

Cuddy suddenly saw how close they were to each other and her heart started to race. She could feel the warmth emitting from his body. She stared up at his face, wondering whether he was feeling the same thing. She unconsciously leaned forwards. She needed something to be right. She needed to forget what had happened.

The glaring ring of the phone made the two jump and Cuddy immediately sat back against the chair, flustered. Scowling at the interruption, one arm still around her shoulders, House reached for the phone next to him and snapped, "What?"

Cuddy could hear Wilson's voice through the phone. "_House, I heard about Cuddy. Is she okay? Nurses at the clinic said she checked out with you."_

"Cuddy's fine," House said, watching her blush slightly from the corner of his eye. "I brought her to my place."

There was a suspicious silence on the other end of the phone. "_Alright_…"

House rolled his eyes, anticipating the lecture. "Don't even start, Wilson," he said, still more than a little annoyed at the interruption.

"_Well, just be careful there House," _he said. "_I'll be back tomorrow so see you at work. Tell Cuddy I said I'm glad she's alright._" Wilson hung up.

House hung up the phone and looked down at Cuddy. She was resting her head against his shoulder again and he found the pressure welcome. "Jimmy said he's glad you're okay." he said, his hand squeezing her shoulder. Cuddy smiled and nodded silently.

The moment from before was broken. It was as though it had never happened. House sighed before picking up the remote and turning on the television, lowering the volume; his way of showing Cuddy that he was going to stay with her tonight. Cuddy's hand found his under the blanket and she nestled her head deeper into his shoulder, shifting closer against him and closing her eyes. For the first time that night, House genuinely smiled.

He waited until her breathing became slow and even before switching off the TV. He looked down. She was in deep sleep. He put a pillow on his lap before moving her so carefully, so gently, not wanting to wake her. He moved her head from his shoulder to the pillow on his lap and reached over her to straighten her legs on to the sofa. Then he spread another blanket over her. He sat back against the chair and re-entwined one hand in hers, gently running his thumb over her fingers. He rested his head against the sofa and closed his eyes.

He would keep to his word. He wasn't going to leave her.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Reviews are love. :)  
**


	3. Let It Out

Cuddy nestled deeper under the blanket when all of a sudden she felt her pillow move

Cuddy nestled deeper under the blanket when all of a sudden she felt her pillow move. Starting as harsh memories of cold hands and mind-numbing fear entered her head, she shot straight up, clutching the blanket to herself. She looked around wildly, not hearing the curse that House tried and failed to contain as her trashing movements caused pain to shoot up his leg.

"Cuddy, calm down," he said, reaching out towards her, placing a hand softly on her arm. "You're with me."

Cuddy stilled, looking around, taking in her bearings and when her eyes fell on House's hand on her arm she felt the sudden inexplicable urge to cry. Breathing deeply, she held back her tears, bottling her emotions. "Sorry…I – I forgot where I was and –"

"Don't worry," House kept his voice soft, her hand brushing lightly over her arm.

Cuddy looked out of the window. Daylight was streaming in and she felt slightly comforted at that thought. "What time is it?" she asked.

House removed his hand from her arm. "Cuddy, you aren't actually thinking of going to _work_ are you?"

"I have to," she said, not meeting his eyes. "I have meetings, I have important paperwork to look over, I –"

House interrupted her again, this time none too gently. "I think, considering what has happened – you do remember you were robbed and assaulted don't you?"

Cuddy flinched visibly.

"House, I need to be at the hospital! I rested!" she said, her voice rising slightly in desperation.

"No."

"House, I need something to be normal. I _need _to go to work. Please…" her voice trailed off.

House regarded her. She was staring at him, eyes wide and pleading, willing him to see her point of view. She never begged. Never. Until now. He nodded imperceptibly and she stood up, heading for the bathroom very aware of the fact that he had stayed with her the whole night. He hadn't left her alone.

* * *

"What happened to Cuddy's arm?" Cameron asked.

"She summoned me for a booty call. Things got out of hand. She likes it rough." House replied, staring at his computer screen.

Cameron made an irritated sound in her throat. "Can't you ever take anything seriously?"

"Don't you have a job to do? I'm your boss not her, so you don't have to kiss her ass."

"I was just concerned –"

"Go help Chase and Foreman with the tests," he cut her off and House watched her as she left his office.

* * *

Wilson had knocked softly on her office door but she jumped nonetheless, glancing up quickly from her paperwork. She gave him a weak smile as he sat down in a chair facing her.

"You shouldn't be here today," he said, watching her carefully.

"House told me the same thing," she said quietly, going back to signing the documents in front of her.

"I think this may be the only time that I say you should have taken his advice,"

Cuddy stiffened, keeping her head bent down.

"How's your arm?"

She finally looked up at him, catching the worry in his eyes. "The brace itches sometimes but otherwise, it's fine."

Wilson hesitated.

"What is it?" she asked, dreading the question of whether she wanted to talk about what happened. So far, she had kept everything to herself and the strain of not talking to anyone about it was being to take its toll on her.

"How was House with you last night?"

Cuddy blinked. That was the last thing she had been expecting. "He was…fine…" Cuddy trailed off. She didn't know how to answer his question.

Wilson raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth when all of a sudden his pager beeped. Looking down at it, he sighed. "Got a patient,"

Cuddy nodded, slightly relieved that he wasn't going to ask her anymore questions about House.

"If you want to talk…" his voice drifted as he saw her nod, before her eyes lowered to the words she could hardly make sense of anymore.

* * *

House frowned at her office door. It was locked and the blinds were drawn. It was nearing ten o' clock and he had just ordered his team to do a new set of tests on his patient. He pulled out a key from his pocket that he had been keeping for at least a year and slid it into the door.

He entered the room and looked around. It was dark, all but for the lamp light that was shining brightly next to her couch. Cuddy herself was curled on the sofa, her eyes wide and staring as she turned abruptly to him. House felt a strange sensation in his chest as she stared at him, her eyes guarded. He closed her office door and walked over to sit by her.

"You weren't thinking of sleeping here, were you?" he asked.

Cuddy sat up and placed her feet back on the floor. Tiredness was overwhelming her and she had the sudden urge to lean against him but she held herself back. She didn't answer his question, but House saw the answer in her eyes.

"Come on," he said, standing up and offering her his hand.

She shook her head. "I want to stay here,"

"Cuddy…" her name rolled of his lips and stretched out forever but not long enough.

She looked up at him and immediately caught onto his gaze. The blue of his eyes was fathomless and clear and seemed to see right through her. "You won't get a good night's sleep here. Come on." He repeated.

She shook her head and looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. House tapped her on the shoulder and offered his hand again.

"I'm not moving until you come with me,"

Cuddy sighed. She knew he really wasn't going to move until she gave in. She put her hand in his and let him half pull her up of the sofa. He squeezed her hand lightly before letting go. She silently curled her hand into a fist, trying to retain his warmth.

"Good. So, your place or mine?" he waggled his eyebrows.

Cuddy's mouth tugged into a small smile as she moved to get her bag and coat. "Oh God, do you have to say it like that?"

"Like what?" House said, an innocent look spreading rapidly across his face as he held her office door open for her.

But Cuddy's smile disappeared when they stepped outside into the dark of the car park. House didn't comment when he felt her move closer to him, one hand reaching for the sleeve of his coat.

When they reached his car, he heard her sigh almost as in relief as she slid into the passenger seat. He started the car and turned his head towards her, the question still in his eyes.

"Yours." she whispered.

* * *

Cuddy woke shaking, cold sweat trickling down her back. She sat up bolt straight in the bed and looked around. House was still sleeping in the chair next to the bed. She had offered to sleep there but he had told her to shut up and get into the bed. So she had.

But now, the fear of the night was gripping her again and tried to control her shaking as she clutched the blanket around her. She felt as though the hands were still on her body, gripping and twisting her arms. She glanced towards the windows, but it was too dark to see outside.

Shivering, she slid out of the bed and walked quietly over to the bathroom. She switched on the light, squinting in the sudden brightness and walked over to the sink. She splashed water onto her face with her right hand and looked in the mirror. She looked awful. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. She watched the water trickle down her face, joining the tears that had started to leak silently from her eyes.

"Cuddy?"

She jumped violently. Wiping her face quickly with her hand, she turned to see House standing in the bathroom doorway. Trying to keep the tears from spilling again, she started moving across the bathroom, back towards him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she tried to keep her voice light but winced at the crack in it. It was obvious she was holding back tears.

House watched her face carefully as she pushed past him and walked back to the bed, sitting on top of the covers. He followed her, but instead of sitting down on his chair he walked to the other side of the bed and sat down, pulling his legs up onto it.

Cuddy stiffened. It was one thing to have slept next to him on the couch the previous night, but this was completely different. Slowly, House sidled closer to her, his eyes never leaving her. She had drawn her legs up to her chest and was staring straight ahead. He could see that she wanted to cry but for some reason she was holding it in.

"It's alright to cry, you know," he whispered, leaning his head down so it was level with hers.

Cuddy turned to face him, the tears already starting to pour from her eyes, trailing a worn path down her cheeks. House closed the little distance there was between them and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. She fell easily against him, her hands grabbing blindly at the front of his shirt as the tears now flowed freely down her face.

House rubbed his hands up and down her back in soothing motions as her body shook against his. Her face was pressed into his chest and her right hand had moved to wrap around his waist, gripping his t-shirt tightly at the back. She was pushing herself impossibly closer, as though she wished to never let him go. She felt safe and she didn't want to let that feeling go.

House held her against him, waiting until she calmed down. He ran one of his hands through her hair a few times, before letting it rest on her waist, hoping it provided her with a comforting pressure. Her sobs gradually lessened and her breathing became less laboured. He looked down at her. Her arm was still wrapped around him and her face was still pressed into his now wet t-shirt. Slowly, he inched his body downwards, pulling her gently with him until they were both lying down.

Her head lay on his chest and his hand brushed lightly over her hair again before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his hand on her good arm, drawing circles on her skin. She moved her right hand so it rested on his stomach and nestled closer to him, sniffing slightly as she closed her eyes. She wanted to thank him, but the words died on the tip of her tongue as tiredness overcame her.

He waited, listening until he heard her breathing regulate, before he turned his head towards her. She was sleeping, her cheeks still wet and glistening from earlier. In a way, he was glad that she had cried. He knew she had bottled her emotions. It would have helped to let them out. But, as he turned his head towards the ceiling, very aware of the soft pressure of her hand on his stomach, he knew that sleep wouldn't come back to him tonight.

* * *

**A/N: Soooo..hi! I'm sorry to say you may have to wait a bit for the next chapter. I'm getting piled up with work from school and my SATs are next month as well. I'll definitely try and post the next chapter as soon as i can though..you just may have to wait slightly longer than usual. Anyway, please tell me what you think. I realise House may be a little OOC but i see him being incredibly sweet to someone he cares about (remember Stacy?). :D**


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